As many as 12 Somali deportees have passed through the U.S. detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, in recent weeks and eight remain, according to two Minnesota men still held there.
One of the men, St. Paul resident Abdullahi Adam Mohamed, said he was told by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents that he was being deported from Louisiana to Somalia with a refueling stop in Cuba. He’s now been at Guantánamo for three weeks.
Seven of the Somali detainees are currently located at Camp 6, a military detention center known for housing high-risk inmates, and the eighth is in isolation, Adam said.
The two Minnesotans, and a third man interviewed by Sahan Journal, say they had active asylum cases and work permits, but were targeted for removal as the Trump administration stepped up deportations. They all describe punishing conditions at Guantánamo, aggressive shackling of prisoners, constant cold air and round-the-clock surveillance.
Adam, 31, said he was detained on Dec. 12 at the beginning of Operation Metro Surge. “They pulled me over and asked me for my work permit,” he told Sahan Journal in a 10-minute phone interview from Camp 6. “I asked them if they had a warrant, and the reason they pulled me over.”
“‘We are immigration officials. We know you’re Adam Abdullahi, and we don’t need a warrant.’ That’s what they told me,” he said.
Adam said he doesn’t know why he was targeted. He has two misdemeanor snow emergency parking citations, but no other records in the state court database.
In a statement for this story, the Department of Homeland Security said the Somalis held at Guantánamo Bay, who all arrived on the same flight, posed a threat.
“This flight of illegal aliens to Guantánamo Bay included some of the worst of the worst with criminal histories including aggravated assaults, weapons offenses, robbery, multiple larcenies, police obstruction, possession of burglary tools, receiving stolen property, trespassing, unauthorized use of a vehicle, multiple drug charges and DUIs,” the statement said.
DHS did not answer any other questions regarding the detainees.
Building a new life in St. Paul
Adam arrived in the U.S. as an asylum seeker in March 2023, obtaining a work permit and Social Security number. He quickly established his own mechanic business and worked for Amazon, where he traveled to different states to repair vehicles.
When Adam was detained by ICE, his family was heartbroken, his cousin Naima Ali said. They believed his Social Security number, work permit, clean record and consistent appointment attendance would allow him to continue his asylum case, especially since he had an upcoming appointment that could lead to approval.
Over the past nine months, Adam has been transferred from the Freeborn County Jail in Albert Lea, to a detention center in Covington, Kentucky, and then to Louisiana. An immigration judge ordered his removal on May 14, and Adam has no pending appeals.
“They say we will go to Somalia from Miami, but first we will stop in Cuba for refueling and then go to other countries before reaching Somalia,” Adam said.
Initially, he and the other Somali detainees were told they would be deported to Somalia, but instead found themselves in Guantánamo, where he and his fellow detainees have been held for nearly 20 days.
Adam reached out to the Somali Embassy in Washington, D.C., and learned that ICE had reported his deportation to Somalia on Aug. 12. “I am here in Guantánamo,” he said.
“I came to the U.S. to be safe,” Adam said. “I used to work and support my mother who died while I was in a detention center in Covington.”
He described life in Guantánamo as challenging, citing the constant air conditioning that leaves the environment frigid, along with cold food and water. “When we come together for food, we’re all coughing all the time,” he said, “as if we’re in a coughing competition.”
Turned back at the Canadian border
Hassan Abdi Abtidoon, 31, is another Somali asylum seeker from Minnesota now detained at Guantánamo Bay.
He came to the U.S. as an asylum seeker on Jan. 3, 2023, and moved to Minnesota, where he worked as a driver for Uber and Lyft, and held various factory jobs.
As he watched the increase in anti-Somali rhetoric, fueled by social media comments by President Donald Trump, and then fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by immigration agents during Operation Metro Surge, Hassan became concerned about the outcome of his asylum application.
His lawyer was overwhelmed with cases and had stopped responding to his calls, he said.
When Hassan received a removal order from the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) on April 6, he decided his best option was to seek asylum in Canada.
On May 19, Hassan attempted to claim asylum at a border crossing but was stopped by Canadian authorities. They subsequently handed him over to U.S officials, who transferred him to Kandiyohi County jail in Willmar, which has an agreement with ICE to hold prisoners.
Hassan’s family members expressed deep concern for his well-being following his detention at Guantánamo Bay.
Abdiaziz Abdullahi, Abtidoon’s cousin, cited the facility’s troubling reputation and history. “It’s shocking and frightening that Hassan is being held in Guantánamo.”
Hassan is described as an industrious, law-abiding individual with no criminal history. “He is a social person,” Abdiaziz said, “a talented poet, and is beloved by his friends and family for his generosity and capability.”
Pulled over by a state trooper
Sakariye Abdi Mohamed, 22, is another Somali asylum seeker detained in Guantanamo Bay.
He arrived in the U.S. in January 2023, and obtained a Social Security number, a work permit, and a commercial driver’s license. On Oct. 28, 2025, while driving a truck in Alabama, he was pulled over by a state trooper, who asked if he was a U.S. citizen or held a green card. Sakariye had neither.
“The trooper was very aggressive to me and called ICE agents, who took me to a detention center in Alabama,” he said. “After eight days, they transferred me to another detention center in Louisiana, where I spent 11 months.”
He said he was informed that he would be deported to Somalia with a stop in Florida. However, he was instead transferred to Guantanamo Bay, arriving on Aug. 26.
“When we asked the officials about our prolonged detention at Camp 6,” he said. They said it was a federal decision from Washington, D.C., and offered no further explanation.”
A third Minnesota man, who Sahan Journal could not reach, is also being held at Guantánamo, the three others said.
Concerns about legal access, due process
Shortly after Trump began his second term in 2025, he issued an executive order to expand the Migrant Operation Center at Guantánamo Bay to accommodate up to 30,000 people.
Since then, ICE detainee counts at Guantánamo Bay have fluctuated from a high of 255 in February 2025, to three in August that year, according to the Deportation Data Project.
In June, the last month for which data is available, nine deportees were held at Guantánamo.
The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups have challenged the legality of holding immigrants facing civil charges in a military prison where they have limited access to family members or legal counsel.
“There is no legal authority for migrants to be detained at Guantánamo, especially in Camp 6,” said Yumna Rizvi, of the Center for Victims of Torture.
The language of the current administration mirrors that of the post-9/11 Bush administration, she said. “They are framing individuals held in Camp 6 as ‘high-priority criminal aliens.'”
“The tactics, rhetoric, and narrative used at Guantanamo, originally designed for counterterrorism, are now being repurposed for immigration enforcement,” Rivzi said. “This raises significant concerns about due process and access to legal counsel, which appear to be systematic violations by design.”
Marc Prokosch, who represents Adam, said he’s been able to track the cases of six of the eight Somali detainees currently held at Guantanamo Bay. Four were recent asylum-seekers, he said, but two had been in the U.S. for decades.
All had final orders of deportation, he said, but no other additional charges.
Hassan said the U.S. immigration authorities obtained a to-go-home letter from the Somali Embassy and said they’re deporting him to Somalia. He spent one night in a Louisiana detention center and found himself in Guantánamo.
Sahan Journal contacted the Somali ambassador to the U.S. in Washington, D.C., to inquire about the distribution of “to-go-home” letters aimed at facilitating the deportation of asylum seekers. Ambassador Dahir Abdi said the process has changed, with U.S. immigration agents now coordinating directly with Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. “The system is centralized now and we don’t do it here anymore,” he said.
“I never expected to be arrested in a prison established for the terrorists who I fled from,” Hassan said. He called the prison a “terrible place.”
In addition to restrictions on phone calls, Hassan said there were limited opportunities for exercise. However, he mentioned that detainees can interact with one another. “During the day, we have a few hours together,” he said.
He and Adam both expressed concern about the surveillance cameras installed in the bathrooms at Guantánamo Bay. The cameras continuously record, leaving no room for privacy.
When asked about his impending deportation to Somalia, Hassan said he would face additional challenges because of his time at the U.S. military prison.
“People believe that those who are detained in Guantánamo are terrorists and bad people,” he said. He said his name would become synonymous with Guantánamo.
“Life in Somalia would be difficult under any circumstances, but this new stigma makes it even worse.”
Sahan data reporter Cynthia Tu contributed to this story.
